And then you look a little closer and realize that the points gap between Aberdeen and dead f'ing last in the table is smaller than the gap between them and Rangers in 2nd.
I'll be honest; I don't think Tillman's goal is super-repeatable at higher levels, but I am a bit confused as how you can dismiss it and in another thread be very impressed by yet another Haji Wright goal where there's an overhead ball and he bullies some weaker defenders and think that really translates to a move to a better league. I'll take Tillman's shot at quality Top 5 minutes over Wright, even just considering the two plays (or entire body of work).
Oh, I can't remember it word for word. He just commented that we had a gameplan that was working and that we abandoned it as a team. And he's right. First ~thirty minutes we were going over the top and getting good situations but couldn't convert. After that ... we stopped trying and got bogged down.
I mean, what do you think that extra time and experience helps you develop? Soccer IQ. There's no scale of soccer IQ, but between the defensive lapses against the Netherlands, the penalty, the terrible decision making in transition, etc., some of the choices in front of goal, I don't think it is an asset for this team.
So much of this stuff is ingrained in how players learn the game, how they see things day after day after day playing and growing up. It's a big disadvantage for us in that we don't have the pure scale of coaching or players to grow that kind of unconscious understanding. It's just harder to learn later, like literally everything in life. But there's ways we can overcome it. And I think the fact that the sport is so much more accessible is all ways these days helps a lot.
It's probably relevant in that Roldan and Tillman were competing for one of the final roster spots, Roldan got it, and did zilch on the field. Tillman, after a dip in form for a month, turned things around, and got back to being either Rangers best attacking players, or certainly one of their best. I'd turn the statement around and also argue that you don't need to act as Roldan's Agent/Press Rep every time someone makes a statement that impugns his abilities in a thread. We know the plusses and minuses, we know you either like or love his game, and his approach in general. We're never changing each other's minds unless Roldan suddenly starts regularly doing things with the USMNT he hasn't done in nearly 3 dozen caps (earn more caps by his play on the field and production).
Why isn’t De La Torre mentioned non stop or Morris or the 3rd right back etc? It’s weird and pointless to focus on one guy. It’s further weird that the focus is mostly dishonest. I defend any player who’s unfairly described, I’ve been disagreeing with the herd when necessary for the entire time I’ve posted here. Roldan is just the latest popular target.
I mean it's not crazy that he has come up given that he and Tillman seem to have very clearly been in contention for the same spot on the roster (whereas Morris was clearly competing with Arriola and LDLT seems like he was super locked in injury or not). I think we shouldn't beat a dead horse over and over, but it's a reasonable discussion to discuss the various roster choices. Ultimately it probably wouldn't matter given that Roldan didn't play at all and Tillman probably wouldn't have either.
Roldan has had 2 appearances in 2022, a 6 minute sub v Honduras and a 30 minute sub v freaking Granada. DLT had 8 appearances over the same period, 4 starts and 4 subs. Berhalter has made Roldan into a laughingstock that nobody should take seriously. If he does not belong, stop calling him up if you are not going to play him. It is actually kind of cringey to see an above average MLS player allowing himself to be treated that way. The B team GC2021 was the chance for Acosta, lletget, and Roldan to cement their spots. Acosta clearly did while Lletget and Roldan did not. GB should have moved on from both at that point in time.
I suspect you don't know team stuff. Roldan is reputed to be a great teammate. Of all the mistakes Berhalter has made, I wouldnt hold this against him.
I don’t think there was ever a contest. He was in every camp he was healthy for since Gold Cup. Fans said he was on the bubble but Michele Giannone, sideline reporter for TUDN said he was going if there were only 23.
Yes! Even just seeing high-level professional soccer on TV on a regular basis is a big boost to our soccer culture. Many of the younger amongst our BigSoccer community may not realize how the opportunity to see professional soccer daily is a relatively new phenomenon in our US soccer culture, and how the lack of visual cues hampered development in the not-so-distant past. There was not an image for young players and coaches to model — of form, technique and small group tactics. It will be interesting to see over the years how or if a distinctive American style is established. Does this make any sense, or am I just avoiding going to bed?
Yes! When I was in junior high and high school the only soccer I could find on TV was shown on PBS. PBS!!!!!! There was a show called All-Star Soccer that showed an English First Division game. (Years before Premiere League) They would edit a 90 minute match so that it fit in a one hour slot. A second show appeared for a bit called Soccer Made In Germany. One Bundesliga game a week. Besides that there were a handful of NASL games shown on network TV during the height of the Cosmos/Pele craze. That was it. The information age, internet, etc can be something that does a lot to level the playing field. We'll slowly add players that truly grew up with the game.
I think this is certainly important, but when I was in HS circa 2001-2005, there were already a lot of soccer crazed kids that found ways to watch the Premier League on a regular basis. That and the popularity of FIFA increased a lot of American kids' knowledge about soccer in the rest of the world. From my vantage point, the stabilization and continued growth of MLS has been the single biggest factor in the massive improvement in the USMNT player pool over the past two decades. As the quality of play continues to improve, more and more kids will get to physically go to games with their families and play in better and better club academies. Easy access to more top flight soccer is just a cherry on top.
I don't know why people think guys are just going to turn down call ups. It's not just what the USSF pays, but these guys definitely view it as an honor to be representing their country and even playing in tournaments like the Gold Cup is a big deal to alot of players. People love to hate of MLS guys like Arriola, Roldan, and Morris but these guys are professional athletes who are amongst the best players in the league. They may not be as good as some of our European based players, but they're also not deserving of the level of disrespect they often get from some. And especially in the short term alot of the MLS veterans are likely to continue to have a role on the team no matter who the coach is. In the medium term I think alot of them will get phased out, but you never know who might surprise some people.
A lot of gross generalizations here. There are obvious posters on this board that have a clear dichotomy between relevant (based in Europe) and not (based in MLS) but inbetween those groups is the vast majority of posters you disagree with. You may want to tar us w/that brush but it isn't accurate. MLS guys from 2021-2022 that I wanted on the plane: GK: Turner Gaga FB's: None CB's: Zim Robinson-Pre Injury CM's: Acosta Wing Forwards: Arriola Strikers: Pepi Borderline: Ferreira: Total: 7/26 (Not a small group, more than 25% of the team) Note: of the players that I approved of on the roster (or didn't hate): GK: 2/3 MLS origins FB's: 4/9 MLS origins or current status Central Mids: 4/7 Forwards: 3/7 Of the official 26 man roster there were 13 guys with MLS origins or current stats that were on it, and that I either 100% approved of, or was at least 50/50 on. Would you assume that? Probably not, based on this post (and I imagine the people repping it), people probably think the same exact thing with X, but I'm betting X has even more MLS guys he approved of than me. There are some clear anti-MLS under all circumstances people around here, but very, very few in truth. Most of us just want players we perceive to be the best, or to have the highest upside/ceiling and reasonable floors. That would include for me plenty of MLS based players this past WC (more than 25%), and as mentioned earlier, nearly half the roster that has MLS background are players I approved of in the first place. We are not who you think we are. We're just hearing each other and not really listening.
Nobody said anything about turning down callups, although Nagbe certainly did turn down callups. If Berhalter believe that Roldan is a USMNT quality player them put him on the field. If the manager does not trust the player enough to give him a start vs lowly Grenada then just make Roldan a "special assistant" where he can continue to massage real players feet and rub their shoulders in the locker room. Bring in a player that you are comfortable actually putting on the field.
This has nothing to do with MLS. That is just your regular attempt to distract from the real issues. Arriola is someone Berhalter plays; 6 appearances including 2 starts in 2022. Morris 11 caps, 2 starts in 2022.
Getting back on topic, I find my 65-yr-old ass watching highlights of Tillman turning defenders and giving no-look passes and thinking, "Damn, I need to get out to the yard and try that one!" Then I remember I'm 65. But how many young kids will be watching Tillman, Aaronson, Puli, Gio, Musah et al, and make learning that incredible move they just saw the most important thing they do over the next few days? That rarely happened a couple of generations ago.